Electrode-less flat lamp

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an electrode-less flat lamp, which comprises oppositely located first and second flat plates, at least one enclosing wall mounted around the region between the first and second flat plates to define a sealing chamber, and a magnetic core attached to the outside of the second flat plate, wherein at least one of the first and second flat plates is pervious to visible lights. The present invention is characterized in that: a plurality of support pillars are extended integrally from the inside of at least one of the first and second flat plates, and the support pillars are tapered from respective bottoms toward respective free ends so that the support pillars can block fewer visible lights by point shape contact with the visible lights when a fluorescence material is excited by an electromagnetic wave of the magnetic core for emitting the visible lights.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a flat lamp, and more particularly toan electrode-less flat lamp able to promote luminous efficiency andluminous uniformity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An illuminator is an essential article of everyday use. In order toprovide people with more stable illumination to fulfill variousrequirements, a fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, and a most advancedpower-saving lamp are disclosed to generate optimum illumination.

In the commonly utilized fluorescent lamp, the filament electrodes aremounted on two ends of a fluorescent tube for discharging electricity.In addition, the fluorescent tube is filled with an insert gas, and theinner wall of the fluorescent tube is coated with a layer offluorescence material. When the electrodes discharge electricity, theelectrons impact the fluorescence material on the inner wall of thefluorescent tube to generate the visible lights for illumination. Inorder to offer the ability to bear the atmosphere pressure, the generalfluorescent lamp can only be formed in a spherical or cylindrical shape.Although a flat fluorescent tube has been disclosed to provide a largerarea light source, the air inside the fluorescent tube must be drainedout completely for the purpose of manufacturing the flat fluorescentlamp. However, this vacuum process allows the negative pressure to beformed inside the fluorescent tube and causes the center region of thefluorescent tube to be sunken or broken, resulting in the poor quality.

In Taiwan Pat. No. 594,830, a cold cathode flat lamp is disclosed, inwhich two elongated trenches are formed on two plate-shaped substratesto define support sections or a wavy structure is sandwiched between twoplate-shaped substrates to support the plate-shaped substrates and toprevent the external force or the negative pressure from sinking orbreaking the plate-shaped substrates. However, this cold cathode flatlamp has the following drawbacks:

1. In the conventional cold cathode flat lamp, some visible lights passthrough the chamber's inner wall, which is coated with fluorescencematerial, and then pass through the plate-shaped substrates to theoutside. In fact, however, the visible lights touch the inner wall ofthe chamber first before passing therethrough. However, the inner wallof the chamber and the plate-shape substrates are made of two kinds ofdifferent materials so they have different refractive indexes.Accordingly, the luminous efficiency of the conventional cold cathodeflat lamp is significantly reduced after the visible lights are twicereflected and obstructed.

2. After the electrodes of the conventional cold cathode flat lampdischarge electricity, some visible lights are reflected by the innerwall of the chamber and the plate-shaped substrates, and thentransmitted to the outside. The other visible lights are transmitted tothe outside by passing through the plate-shaped substrates directly. Thedifferent paths cause conventional cold cathode flat lamp to generatetwo kinds of visible lights of different strengths. As a result, theluminous uniformity of the conventional cold cathode flat lamp issignificantly affected.

3. The electrode number of the conventional cold cathode flat lamp isdoubly increased with the increase of chamber number. In addition, theelectrode of the conventional cold cathode flat lamp is principally anexpensive electrode such as a nickel electrode, a silver electrode, acopper electrode, a molybdenum electrode, or a niobium electrode,causing disablement in reducing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, a major object ofthe present invention is to disclose an electrode-less flat lamp able topromote luminous efficiency and luminous uniformity.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, anelectrode-less flat lamp is comprised of oppositely located first andsecond flat plates, at least one enclosing wall mounted around theregion between the first and second flat plates to define a sealingchamber, and a magnetic core attached to the outside of the second flatplate, wherein at least one of the first and second flat plates ispervious to visible lights. The present invention is characterized inthat: a plurality of support pillars are extended integrally from theinside of at least one of the first and second flat plates, and thesupport pillars are tapered from respective bottoms toward respectivefree ends so that the support pillars can block fewer visible lights bypoint shape contact with the visible lights when a fluorescence materialis excited by an electromagnetic wave of the magnetic core for emittingthe visible lights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational diagram of a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational, exploded diagram of the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevational, exploded diagram of a second preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6A is a first schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a second schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6C is a third schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6D is a fourth schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6E is a fifth schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6F is a sixth schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6G is a seventh schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

FIG. 6H is an eighth schematic diagram showing the support pillarsarranged on one of the flat plates of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The description taken with the drawings make the structures, features,and embodiments of the present invention apparent to those skilled inthe art how the present invention may be embodied in practice.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention generally comprises a first flat plate 1 and a secondflat plate 2, which are located oppositely. At least one of these twoflat plates is pervious to visible lights. In addition, at least oneenclosing wall 3 is mounted around the region between these two flatplates to define a sealing chamber 4. The sealing chamber 4 is filledwith an inert gas 41. Besides, the inner surface of the sealing chamber4 is coated with a layer of fluorescence material 42. A magnetic core 43is attached to the outer surface of the second flat plate 2. Moreover,the enclosing wall 3 is pervious or not pervious to visible lights.

The present invention is characterized in that several support pillars 5are extended integrally from the inner surface of at least one of theflat plates. These support pillars 5 are tapered from the respectivebottoms toward the respective free ends to enable the support pillars toblock fewer visible lights by point shape contact with the visiblelights when the fluorescence material is excited by an electromagneticwave of the magnetic core 43 for emitting the visible lights.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention is illustrated. There are provided with two identicalunits, wherein in each unit, a sealing chamber 4 is defined by the firstflat plate 1, the second flat plate 2, and the opaque enclosing wall 3between the flat plate 1 and the flat plate 2. In addition, the magneticcore 43 is sandwiched between the second flat plates 2 of these twoidentical units. As a result, the first flat plates 1 of these twoidentical units are designed to be pervious to visible lights.

Referring to FIGS. 6A to 6H, the support pillars 5 are arranged on theinner surface of the first flat plate 1 or the second flat plate 2 in acrisscross or reticulated pattern. In addition, the support pillars 5between the first flat plate 1 and the second flat plate 2 can protectthe center regions of these flat plates against sinking or breakingunder the negative pressure formed during the vacuuming process.Besides, when the apparatus of the present invention emits the visiblelights, the support pillars 5 that have the tapered shape allow thevisible lights to have point shape contact with the support pillars.Moreover, the support pillars 5 are made of the same material as theseflat plates 1 and 2, and extended integrally from the flat plates 1 and2. As a result, they have identical refractive index. Accordingly, theluminous intensity of every light beam will not be altered by thesupport pillars 5 so as to allow the light beam to uniformly anddirectly pass through the wall of the sealing chamber 4.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealing chamber 4 has no electrodeon both ends so the present invention can reduce the cost effectively.

The present invention has the following features:

1. The support pillars of the present invention do not hinder thevisible lights from passing and do not affect or alter luminousefficiency and luminous uniformity.

2. The support pillars, which are integrally extended from the flatplates, are made of the same material as the flat plates, whereby theyhave identical refractive index to prevent the luminous intensity fromalteration for improving the luminous uniformity.

3. The cost can be maximally reduced since no electrode is formed in thepresent invention.

On the basis of the description mentioned above, the present inventionindeed satisfies the requirements for patentability since it providespracticability and has never been published or used publicly. Therefore,it is submitted for a patent.

With the invention thus explained, it is apparent that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope of the invention. It is therefore intended that this invention belimited only as indicated in the appended claims.

1. An electrode-less flat lamp, which comprises oppositely located firstand second flat plates, at least one enclosing wall mounted around aregion between said first and second flat plates to define a sealingchamber, and a magnetic core attached to the outside of said second flatplate and in which at least one of said first and second flat plates ispervious to visible lights, characterized in that: a plurality ofsupport pillars are extended integrally from the inside of at least oneof said first and second flat plates, and said support pillars aretapered from respective bottoms toward respective free ends so that saidsupport pillars can block fewer visible lights by point shape contactwith said visible lights when a fluorescence material is excited by anelectromagnetic wave of said magnetic core for emitting said visiblelights.
 2. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 1,characterized in that said support pillars are arranged on an innersurface of at least one of said first and second flat plates in acrisscross pattern.
 3. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 1,characterized in that said support pillars are arranged on an innersurface of at least one of said first and second flat plates in areticulated pattern.
 4. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim1, characterized in that said sealing chamber is filled with an inertgas.
 5. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 1, characterizedin that an inner surface of said sealing chamber is coated with saidfluorescence material.
 6. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim1, characterized in that said enclosing wall is pervious to said visiblelights.
 7. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 1,characterized in that said enclosing wall is not pervious to saidvisible lights.
 8. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 1,characterized in that said first flat plate, said second flat plate, andsaid enclosing wall jointly define a first unit, and said magnetic coreis mounted between said second flat plate of said first unit and asecond flat plate of a second unit, wherein said second unit and saidfirst unit are identical in structure so that said first flat plates ofsaid first and second units are both designed to be pervious to saidvisible lights.
 9. An electrode-less flat lamp according to claim 8,characterized in that said sealing chamber of at least one of said firstunit and said second unit is filled with an inert gas.
 10. Anelectrode-less flat lamp according to claim 8, characterized in that aninner surface of said sealing chamber of at least one of said first unitand said second unit is coated with said fluorescence material.